And for what it's worth, not speaking fluent German need hardly be a barrier to living here. (Here in my case actually being Germany.) My German may or may not be fluent now (depends on time of day, subject matter and (my) blood alcohol level among other things) but it certainly wasn't when I arrived. Anyone wanting out of Pommieland shouldn't think of language as a long-term barrier.

I'm rather late for all of this, but just thought I'd put my oar in.
Boris was MP for my home town until recently and actually made a decent hash of it.
Admittedly that was compared to the last chap, who was very rarely seen in the vicinity and hardly ever campaigned on behalf of the town.
Boris campaigned on local issues, moved to be nearer the town and managed to get my sister a new boiler.
Of course you could say that he was just putting the time in so that he could then move on to bigger and better things.
I am in no way excusing any of his opinions or policies, just wanted to suggest that just perhaps he won't be as big a disaster as many fear.
That was said sotto voce by the way.
From behind the sofa.
Quack.
Sorry, Quack.

As far as a vote for a Lib Dem being not worth the paper on which it is ticked, I'm of the opinion that rising numbers of Lib Dem voters will cause Labour and Conservative parties to look at polling to see why people are voting for them, and then steal popular policies. It may not actually be democracy but it is a way of your voice being heard. I sometimes wonder what would actually happen if everyone made an informed choice on election days. It's a slightly scary thought but it could be rather interesting.

I did have something non-idiotic to say but I forget what it was.

Collective child rearing has occurred in many cultures for rather a long time. It doesn't seem to mean that the parents are any less responsible but rather that all feel responsibility for all of the group's children. Can't see it working in our society though.

As far as von Stauffenberg plots go, if you assassinate Brown there'll only be another one along to take his place. With less charisma. That's not a reason not to vote MPs or PMs out, merely another reason not to advocate killing them.

Oh yes, I'm still young (30 is still young isn't it?) and still incredibly politically naive (see above) but is it wrong to say that you would like the world to be a better place, to posit utopian situations just on the hope that one day that they may be achievable? [damn, just clicked the wrong option on the menu bar and now 'acheivable' is in my dictionary! Curses!] I'm often quite cynical about just about everything but that doesn't stop me being optimistic.

?

See the first post of this thread. That's already a disaster, whatever he does or doesn't do. Since his "policies", such as they are, are mostly incoherent, or unworkable, or both, there is some chance that he may not have much impact in the long term, but I remember thinking something similar about Thatcher in 1979.

Hugo von Hofmannsthal on utopian situations:

Es gibt ein Reich
Wo alles rein ist -
Es hat auch einen Namen:
Totenreich.

For a while, Peter Mandelson was MP for my home town. He moved into the town and campaigned on local issues when he could see the electoral advantage of doing so (knowing which were the right bandwagons upon which to jump, in terms of the opinions of the awful local paper and so on). It didn't and doesn't change my view of him.

The more I read about what he's said, the less comfortable I am with any apologia for his policies or soundbites.


Yes, the thought had occurred to me. It's a shame that one constituency (which has been neglected by Conservative HQ for decades simply because it's a safe seat) has lost an MP who (it could be said) accurately reflects popular feeling in the town (well that's unfair really, there are some very nice people living there) and who really went out of his way to defend and promote local interests (even if that was in the service of his political ambition), and another constituency, which needs his help like it needs a hole in the head, gains a representative who to all intents and purposes appears to be

Thing is, I can't see anyone wanting the job now: none of them had the courage to challenge Brown at a time when anyone but Blair would have looked good; now any leader is guaranteed a miserable two years and probable General Election defeat. Only the masochistic need apply.